Little Women question

Jo and Laurie do not suit each other outside of being best friends. As much as I dislike Amy, she is the one suited to Teddy, as she is a self-made lady whose fine mannerisms and ways are more in line with the old-money Lawrence family.

Jo and Laurie....perhaps in the future, the far future, when both are much older and toned down a bit from their youth, maybe.

But all in all, I think Laurie/Amy and Jo/Fritz are the best couples. They are well suited to each other and are the right choices.

I guess Amy had a temper, but she was also a really young girl when she burned Joe's book. I think it was a good choice for Joe and Laurie to not get together, as from the beginning of the book Joe always said she wanted to be a spinster and look after her parents. This is what annoyed me about the random guy she ended up with as well. For her to just change her mind, for me, caused inconsistencies in her usually very strong-willed character. Also, the reasons Joe gives for making her decision not to marry Laurie are very well thought out and well reasoned. They argue all the time, and have a friendship, not a romantic relationship. Also, Joe's unrefined nature would not have sat well with Laurie's social standing, and she would not have felt comfortable in the presence of his friends for the rest of her life. I think it was a good decision to not marry Joe and Laurie overall, but I do question the decision to marry Joe off at all.

I think Laurie was too young for Jo, both in years and in life experience. Laurie had had life very easy, while Jo had known what it was to be hard up, had struggled for success with her writing, and had watched Beth decline and die.

By the time Amy had grown up, Laurie too had grown up a bit. But I think both of them were more superficial than Jo.

I don't think Jo was being inconsistent in marrying after she had said she wouldn't. She was fifteen when she said that and in her ?mid twenties when she married. It would be more surprising if her outlook on life hadn't changed in that time.

You know, authors (in my opinion) tend to make wrong decisions a lot. Maybe Jo has a temper, but so does Amy.

I agree with the majority of comments that it made sense for the pairings to end up the way they did and that while Amy had a temper, so did Jo.

I think the one thing I really felt upon reading the book is that Jo and Laurie love each other but they aren't in love with each other. It can be easy to conflate the two feelings but in the end they would have not suited each other in such a close intimate relationship like a marriage.

There's also the fact that Laurie always found everything that Jo did to be perfect (especially in her writing), but Fritz was one of the first people in her life to think she was brilliant but that she could do better. He saw her as she was not as he willed her to be in his mind.

as a kid, i shipped Jo/Laurie ; as an adult, it's got to be jo/bhaer.

because Jo, in the beginning of the novel kept repeating how she wanted "to be a boy." with Auntie March she was never quite agreeable. the closer Jo got to Laurie, the more--i see it--that she'd secured the masculine characteristics of her nature well, that she felt safe enough to express the feminine side she held. (Teddy, unlike most boys his age, enjoyed piano, singing and songwriting... not too much dance & elegances)

when Beth has scarlet fever, Laurie visited Amy daily without fail, as promised, saw to her will, and just always came to her as promised. he remembered the little things, like her love of carriage rides, art & how she loves to be complimented/bejeweled, & where her favourite little house for an engagement/marriage was.

when Jo declined Laurie, he threatened to kill himself and then drank in Europe until he was misery as company. Laurie didn't bend for Jo, he was himself. Mr Bhaer taught Jo that talent was worth far less than pride & doing right, as Laurie did from Amy.

Mr Bhaer was masculine & soft, but as hard as needed. he & Jo were kindred in ways most could hope. he didn't want her to write things she couldn't put her name to. in the book, he was much older and less attractive than in film. jo saw herself as homely and awkward; she never cared for looks as much as Amy would have. they both had lost a sister they loved; adored children and learning so much. he wanted to love her and made an effort by showing up. it was the same Laurie did for Amy.

Though I might have preferred Jo and Laurie on my first read, I’ve grown to believe that Jo should not have held a suitor at all. As Alcott intended, the ending with Jo and Bhaer felt unsatisfactory for someone who has put their heart into the story.

Though Amy may have exhibited rude behavior, i don’t think we can use this against her. Laurie was childish and immature when Jo rejected him, and we see Amy help shape him into a respectable young man .

While Jos character development was reliant on her own independence, Laurie was seen being reliant on her. After their breakup, he becomes childish and runs off to Europe. We see Amy, now mature, wrangle him in and help him grow.

I always wanted Jo and Laurie to get together...Amy is somewhat frivolous.